Edward and Alphonse Elric - brothers who live in the countryside Rizenburg (English Resembool) in the country Amestris (English Amestris). Their father, Hohenheim, left home when Edward and Alphonse were still quite children. Years later, their mother, Trisha Elric, dies of an incurable disease. After his mother's death, Edward decides to return it with alchemy - an advanced science, whose essence lies in the fact that an object can be transformed into something completely different, but exactly equivalent to the original subject. To do this, they learn the record of his father, devoted to "Human transformation," the forbidden art, with which it is theoretically possible even revive the dead man. However, this attempt failed, resulting in the loss of his left leg, Edward, Alphonse lost his body is full. In a desperate attempt to save his brother, Edward sacrifices his right arm to attach to the soul of Alphonse knightly armor. After that, Edward receives instead of the left leg and right arm a couple avtoprotezov (or avtobroni) - modern artificial limbs that are created close friends of the family, Winry and her grandmother Rokbell Pinakov.
Edward decides to become a State Alchemist (Jap. 国家 錬 金 术 师 Cocca Renkindzyutsusi?)), That is an alchemist, who works for the Army Amestrisa. Public Alchemists distinguished by their silver pocket watches and a unique title granted after taking office. This title allows Edward to use the vast resources to find a way to return the lost brothers, but also turns him into a "living weapon" of the army ("watchdog" of the army). Too many people who meet the brothers on the road, hostile attitude toward them because of the title, which is Edward. People hate the army, and especially the State Alchemists, because they are guilty of destroying almost the entire population of Isvara in the last Civil War.
Over time, the brothers learn about the Philosopher's Stone, according to legend, allowing the holder to completely bypass the law of equivalent exchange, and go looking for him to use it to restore their bodies. In the end, Elrick know that to create the Philosopher's Stone requires human lives. They also welcome those who are also looking for Stone, doing everything possible (including the killing of any innocent people), the stone fell into their hands. Homunculus attack on the brothers - a group of humanoid creatures that bear the part of the Philosopher's Stone, allowing them to recover from almost any damage done. They are named according to the seven deadly sins and act as the main villains. Homunculi are vulnerable when they are next to the bones of his prototype (the first adaptation of the manga in the anime).
In the manga, a man called Homunculus "Father" - the creator of all the Homunculus. It manages the country's Commander in Chief of the shadows Amestris. It was originally a small ball of shadows in a flask with the word "homunculus" created from the blood of Hohenheim. He incites the king to perform transformations of man, which leads to the destruction of the country Xerxes (Xerxes). As a gift for helping his father did Hohenheim immortal, will revive his body with half the population of Xerxes; the other half he used to create a body for himself in the likeness of Hohenheim.